Far, Far Away
by TeamChaosPrez
Summary: A slice of life AU fic in which everyone is human. Rated T for slight cursing and occasional suggestive themes. Updated irregularly. Contains Pearlmethyst and hints of Stevonnie. Lapidot, Larsadie, and poly cool kids later. Also, fan interpretations of the diamonds.
1. Chapter 1

Far, Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter One

_A/N: This is a human AU, and hoo boy is it an AU. The ages you need to know right now are; Steven is 10, Greg is 42, Garnet is 30, Pearl is 29, and Amethyst is 26. I'll tell you other ages as characters are introduced. This fanfiction contains Pearlmethyst from the very beginning, so if you don't like this ship this might not be for you. I'm going to try and include most if not all canon characters in this. It's all a slice of life fanfiction, so if you have any ideas for a future chapter, let me know._

Normally, Steven Quartz-Universe found it easy to sleep, but tonight seemed to be an exception. The chubby boy quietly slid out of bed, straightening his shirt over his bellybutton before creeping out of his room. Upon passing a mirror, he was able to find that his dark curly hair was matted and tangled with bedhead. He yawned sleepily and shrugged, moving past it to head to the kitchen and get a drink of water, hoping his father was at least asleep by now.

However, these hopes were dashed when he heard the familiar voice of his dad in the very room he was aiming for. The child ducked to behind the wall, ready to just head back to his room and go back to bed, but just as he was tiptoeing out he heard his name.

He peered at his father with his dark eyes – so much like his late mother's – and eavesdropped carefully, figuring out rather quickly that Greg was talking to his graceful and perfectionist "aunt," Pearl Gemstone.

Steven's mother was long dead, so he had largely been raised by his father, two of his mother's closest friends, and his older half-sister.

Greg Universe was in his early forties, a sweet man with a seemingly permanent sunburn, long but thinning hair, and a potbelly that he no longer had any will to get rid of. He had been married to Rose Quartz for many years before Steven was born, and had been hit hard by her death, losing much of his self esteem and, for a while, his will to play music. He had taught Steven how to play the instruments he knew, and had done his best to raise his son without Rose.

Pearl Gemstone was thin, lithe, and graceful. She had pale skin and light peach hair that Steven had been told used to be black, then pink, and finally its current color. Though she and the other two guardians lived a few cities away, she had always done her best to supply for her "nephew," sending a nearly inappropriate amount of money until a year previously. Why she had stopped sending was unknown, but she had.

Garnet Crystal was tall and bulky, with beautiful dark skin and big black hair that she wore proudly. Where she lacked in communication skills, she made up for in strength and protectiveness. She had been raised in the most loving environment possible by her two mothers – Ruby and Sapphire – and it showed in nearly everything she did.

Amethyst Quartz was short and chubby, with long white hair that reached down to her knees and tan skin that rarely burned. She was Rose Quartz's first child, born sixteen years before Steven, and she was one of the funnest people Steven knew; with her loudmouth attitude and tendency to be as reckless as possible, it was a wonder she had never accidentally hurt him.

The boy considered those four adults to be his own little family, and it had not gone without extensions; Ruby and Sapphire – Garnet's parents – treated him like their grandson, and he had two little nieces. Opal was the daughter of Pearl and Amethyst, only a year old, and Sugilite was the product of a very drunken New Year's between Garnet and Amethyst that was nearly five years old. Opal's existence made sense – he couldn't quite remember the term for people like Pearl, maybe it was "transgender" or something of the sort – but Sugilite was a mystery that nobody could seem to solve.

Steven had lived in Empire City for much of his young life, with two visits to his other three guardians twice a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they came to visit him every year around his birthday. It was normal for him, a routine and two places he felt comfortable keeping to.

The way the conversation was going, however, he couldn't help but feel as though that nice little routine and way of life was going to change, and he couldn't tell if he was more scared or excited for that. Mostly scared.

"Pearl, I know I said I could handle it. And I have for the most part, haven't I? But I just lost my job. I can't support him- yes, I know I could just get a new job, but I don't want to leave him home alone all day while I'm job hunting."

Greg sighed heavily, and Steven swore he could hear Pearl's voice – high with stress, probably – speaking on the other end.

"Look, aren't you the one that wanted custody of him when he was first born?- Yes, of course I'll stay nearby and provide some child support! I still own that car wash.- Pearl, he's ten. He's better behaved than Sugilite. Shouldn't you know this, being a teacher and all?"

There was silence for a minute, silence that threatened to crush the boy under its weight and leave nothing but dust where he once stood.

"Thank you. Yeah, August. We'll be there then."

The phone was hung up, and Steven still stared at his father, the breath ripped out of him. The man turned and saw his son, a small smile finding its way onto his face.

"I guess you heard that, huh?" Greg asked tiredly, coming over to hug him. "Don't worry, it's gonna be alright. We just have to move to Beach City. I'll live in the truck by the town, and you'll live with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Doesn't that sound fun."

"... Yeah." Steven replied quietly and ever so slightly reluctantly.

"Alright... now, let's get you to bed. You have school in the morning. Last week, right?"


	2. Chapter 2

Far, Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter 2

_A/N: So here we go, onto the second chapter. Sugilite is 4, Opal is 1, and Connie is 10. As always, feel free to leave a review with suggestions for future chapters, but I'll only write them with characters I've already introduced, as all of the entrances are carefully planned. I also think you guys should know that little baby Sugilite is the most fun to write out of all these characters._

Steven watched out the window of Greg's van, trying to commit everything he passed on the five-hour trip to memory but knowing he would probably forget all of this within the next week. In fact, he was so focused on the clouds and sky that he almost didn't realize when he could see the Beach City water tower in the distance.

"We're almost there!" The child crowed excitedly, bouncing a little bit. He really was excited, as reluctant as he had been to move. There really wasn't much of anything for him back in Empire City, aside from a few nice memories with the apartment. The other people living nearby, whether they be older or younger or the same age, all seemed to think his innocent energy was startling and overbearing. On the other hand, on his many visits to Beach City he had met some of the locals, and they were all just as quirky as he himself was.

Greg couldn't help but smile a little at his son's enthusiasm as he continued driving, knowing the way to the house on the beach by heart even though he hadn't lived nearby since Steven was only a year old. "That's right, buddy. We should be there in just a few minutes."

Steven's smile widened a moment, though it quickly disappeared. He rested his cheek on his arms as he stared out the window at the sky, which was a near perfect blue that day. ". . . Do you really think Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl want me around? I mean, they're always busy with Sugilite and Opal, and -"

"Of course they want you around!" His father interrupted, taking a turn past the Big Donut and driving onto the sand. "They love you. All three of them. The little ones, too. And, just between you and me, right after you were born they wanted to take you and raise you themselves without me."

Steven quickly turned back to him, eyes wide. "And they didn't?"

"Of course not! I'm the one that's had you up until this point, aren't I?" He pulled into a parked position near the edge of the water, looking out at the ocean nostalgically. "They recognized that they didn't have the right to take you from your biological parent. And, of course, they still have partial custody of you as a little bit of a leftover deal with Amethyst. This move is just making it so that you live with them and are technically under their custody, with me still living just in the town."

This was rather confusing to the boy, but he understood it fine, and nodded as he hopped down out of the van. He barely had any time to look around the beach, which he had never seen in the summertime, before he felt a smaller presence attach herself to his leg.

"Hiya, Steven!" The spirited voice of the preschool aged Sugilite declared as she grinned up at him, sunglasses in place as always. "Mom and Momma say you're here to stay now!"

"Yeah, I am!" Steven grinned and gently hugged the small dark-skinned girl as she cackled, though whether he should find that endearing or frightening he couldn't yet tell. Sugilite was known for being violent and causing trouble, to the point she needed to be homeschooled after being expelled from the preschools in both Beach City _and _the next town over.

However, she abruptly stopped laughing when a tall woman came over and scooped her up into her arms. Garnet smiled gently at her sort-of son and ruffled his hair lightly. "Hello, Steven. Was your trip good?"

He nodded happily, feeling a sort of glee that could only come with being around a family member you hadn't seen in a while. This feeling was only heightened when he was hugged from behind by a heavyset woman barely taller than him, almost being knocked over in the process.

"Yoooo, Ste-man!" Amethyst whooped excitedly, lifting him off his feet a bit in a tight hug and taking great joy when he giggled. "Now we've got four of us here! Maybe you'll get Pearl to chill out a little."

Steven chuckled happily. "I dunno if that's even possible, Amethyst, but I can try!"

The small gathering was completed when a tall fair-skinned woman walked onto the sand, carrying a small toddler with long white hair on her hip. "I do not need to 'chill out.'" Pearl scoffed in retaliation, though a warm smile opened up on her face as she kneeled over to give Steven a hug.

Quite a bit of small talk and catching up was done, though there wasn't really much to say; Steven didn't have many friends, and the city never held very much to do over the summer besides go to and participate in benefit concerts for various charities.

After a while, Pearl lightly ruffled the boy's hair and looked to Greg. "We have some things to talk about for now, just between us adults. Maybe Steven could explore the beach until dinnertime."

"That sounds good to me!" The child in question declared enthusiastically, still smiling so widely his face threatened to crack apart.

"Can I go with him?" Sugilite, who appeared to be rather bored with all of the nothing going on, asked her mother. She then pouted when Garnet shook her head.

"You're still grounded, Sugilite. You can go with him when you're five."

"But that's two whole months!"

"You got expelled, you are clearly too young to go exploring."

Steven used this opportunity to slip away and start his walk down the beach.

It was a rather peaceful day, the waves crashing against the sand in a calming lull that relaxed him but still kept the smile on his face. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and hummed a little song, a slight spring in his step.

He quickly noticed, however, that there was a dark-skinned girl reading just beneath a cliff. Steven was surprised a moment, not having noticed anyone to be on the beach (it was private, to his knowledge), and was unable to do much of anything for a minute besides stare at her.

Until, of course, he realized that a piece of the cliff was about to break off and land on top of her.

The boy made a squeaky noise of surprise and sprinted over, pushing her out of the way and to safety in just enough time. He then noticed that they were very, _very _close together, and he still had not introduced himself.

Awkward.

"Uh... hi! My name's Steven!" He spoke with a grin, standing up and offering a hand to help her, which she accepted and used as a support to get to her feet.

"I'm Connie..."


	3. Chapter 3

Far, Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter 3

_A/N: Okay, I need to say this; I am aware that Steven does not go to a generic school in the canon verse, but I have him in an actual school for two reasons. One, the school is vital to the plot and the introductions that take place in this fanfiction, and two, it's an AU and also my writing. This is all based on personal interpretation. Also, Ruby is 49 and Sapphire is 50, Peedee and Onion are both 10, Kiki is 17, and Yellow Diamond is 45. And before you say anything, yes, I made BCCS unrealistically nice because the school year is killing me and I owe it to myself to make something good okay. And finally, just in case your schools aren't set up like mine, auditeria = auditorium (stage) + cafeteria (lunch room) rolled into one._

_UPDATE: hahahahaha oops i noticed i never finished typing one sentence but i just fixed this_

Steven and Connie had become best friends rather quickly, much to the delight of the adults (who had thought that Steven would have a little bit of trouble making friends in a new environment for some reason). She had come to the beach every day for the last week, and she and Steven would play, laugh, and share their favorite books.

He would even go visit the town on occasion, and had befriended a blond boy named Peedee Fryman as well as a strange short boy named Onion Tail. He was very rarely in the house before sundown, and when he was he spent much of his time hanging out with his guardians or playing with Sugilite and Opal.

Overall, in the last week Steven had adjusted to his new home and surroundings very well. He even seemed to enjoy being in Beach City more than he had enjoyed being in Empire City, and not a trace of homesickness could be found anywhere in the boy's heart. The house was bigger, the air was cleaner, the people were friendlier, and he just felt overall safer and happier.

This feeling just couldn't be shaken. Not even early Monday morning when Pearl crept into his bedroom and carefully shook him awake.

Steven had been homeschooled up until this point, but with Greg running his car wash, the three women teaching, and Sugilite being homeschooled in the evenings, he would have to go to a standard public school. It was the only one in Beach City, and while somewhat understaffed with not a whole lot of students, it was often appraised for having good education standards and an extremely low dropout rate. It was also excused from standardized testing because enough teachers complained about it. Certainly, had more people even known about the little seaside town, it would have more students.

The boy rolled out of bed and stretched with a yawn, pulling on a red shirt adorned with a star and jeans that were rolled up a bit due to being too long. He quietly crept past Sugilite's room – she slept through most of the first part of the day because she was taught from four in the afternoon until eleven at night, and waking her up would come with consequences that Steven didn't even want to begin to think about. The kid was a terror just being her normal rested self; she was probably absolutely horrifying to deal with when she was tired.

Pearl was already in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. Garnet was already over at the school, and because Amethyst only worked part time she was knocked out on the couch. It was typically the tall, pale gem that would make sure Steven got ready for school and dropped him off.

She slid him a waffle as he hopped up onto a stool at the counter, and he started devouring his breakfast almost immediately. The perfectionist smiled fondly and walked over, gently trying to tame his poofy hair to very little avail. "Are you ready for your first day of school?" She asked when she had achieved something of a result.

"Yeah!" He nodded enthusiastically. It was unknown to anyone how he managed to get so much energy so soon after getting out of bed in the morning. "I'm kinda excited, actually. Do you know my teacher? Are they nice?"

Pearl listened to him talk, still with a little smile on her face. "That's good. I don't know your teacher all that well, but I do know the girl that's going to be helping her out for the first half of the school year, and she's pretty nice." She glanced over at the clock, tapping her foot a little to a beat that only she could hear. "We probably should get going soon. Brush your teeth and get your shoes on, I'll probably be waiting in the car."

Steven nodded happily and bounced off to the bathroom, not as worried about waking Opal or Amethyst. While Amethyst was fairly grumpy in the mornings, he knew that she had the sense not to lose her temper _too _badly at him with Pearl around, and Opal was a light sleeper with a godly good temper – especially for a toddler.

Once his teeth were brushed and he had hurriedly pulled on his sandals, he ran out to the car, where Pearl was waiting as she had said she would be. He climbed into the back of the vehicle and put on his seatbelt, looking out the window as his guardian carefully navigated her way off the beach and began to drive to the school.

"Don't forget, Ruby and Sapphire have your lunch, so just stop by their office when it's time for that. You know where it is, right? It's right next to the auditeria." Pearl's quick-to-worry attitude was already building up, which was somewhat endearing as all it meant was that she cared.

"I know! Don't worry, Pearl, I'll be okay." The boy smiled reassuringly, and she sighed a little but relented, the smile returning.

"Alright, alright, I'll get off your case." She pulled into the parking lot of the school and gave Steven an affectionate little motherly kiss on the forehead. "Oh, and don't forget to go talk to the principal after school, alright? Ms. Yellow Diamond?"

"I won't!" He gave her a reassuring smile before hopping out of the car and running into the building, almost a little _too _excited to get his first day of fifth grade started.


	4. Chapter 4

Far Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter 4

_A/N: Okay so I just wanted to let you guys know that there's a Tumblr blog I made for this fanfiction. Its URL is askfarfaraway and you can ask the introduced characters questions or ask me about the AU and stuff. And regarding the actual fanfic, Blue Diamond is 43. The Diamonds are NOT related, though they do have some history together, which I'll reveal eventually._

The morning had been largely uneventful, anticlimactic, and overall somewhat disappointing – though it was nice that, by some stroke of luck, Steven had wound up in a seat between Connie and Peedee and behind Onion (and a little part of him wondered if Garnet or Pearl had rigged that). A middle-aged woman named Blue Diamond was the fifth grade teacher, and though she was rather patient she seemed to get an annoyed tone to her voice after only an hour of being in charge of a room of energetic ten-year-olds. A high school student was in charge of helping out in the mornings – her name was Kiki, and she was nice enough, very patient and helpful.

Lunchtime seemed to come along in no time at all, and Steven was subject to the grandmother-like affections of Ruby and Sapphire for at least five minutes before they let him actually take his bagged lunch and go eat. While most children would be annoyed by the delay, the good-natured boy took it in stride, actually enjoying the attention until they finally let him go.

Steven plopped at the table next to Connie, and the two of them ate in silence. There was still time left once both children had finished eating, so they started talking about multiple things, both important and not. He glanced around the auditeria before furrowing his eyebrows in thought and asking a question.

"How come the school goes all the way from kindergarten to twelfth grade?"

Connie shrugged a bit. "Partially because the school's smaller than the normal high school freshman class, and partially because it's easier to have one group of people in charge of a large building of children than it is to have three groups in charge of three depressingly small buildings of children." She shrugged. "Usually it goes off pretty well. The high schoolers are all either nice or leave us alone. Except when the principal's older daughter went her. She had kind of a reign of terror. Really big and mean, even the teachers were scared of her. She graduated a couple years ago. And the younger daughter is a bit skittish, so we don't have to worry about her."

Steven frowned a little. "That's cool, I guess, but how come the principal let her daughter be that much of a jerk?"

She shrugged. "Well, Ms. Yellow is kinda... messed up. She likes to think that her kid does no wrong, but I think part of it is also just that she doesn't like a lot of the people that go there. I'd say the school board should find someone else to do her job, but there really aren't any other adults with the right experience or whatever to do it."

"Wow." His frown grew as he kicked his legs a little, looking down at his sandwich. "Ms. Yellow sounds pretty mean. Is there anything else she did that was... I dunno, biased or something?"

Connie thought a moment, then shrugged. "Well, she almost expelled Miss Blue's daughter a few years back because she got pregnant. Only reason she didn't was because the daughter started dating one of hers. The younger one, I think."

Steven hummed a little in thought just as the bell rang. The class quickly got into a single file line and walked back to the classroom to finish out the school day.

The afternoon was just as uneventful as the morning had been, and Steven found that he already knew much of what was on the review math sheets. Even so, he paid attention when Blue Diamond had to reexplain concept after concept, and when the final bell rang and it was time to go he gathered his things and prepared to go down to the office and talk to Yellow Diamond. After what he had heard earlier, he wasn't entirely sure if he _wanted _to face the principal, but he had to.

The teacher said his name before he could leave the room, however, and he quickly walked over to the largest desk in the room, glad for the excuse to wait. Blue Diamond examined him carefully before speaking.

"Steven, you're a nice boy, and I like you. So I'm going to tell you this now. Avoid Yellow Diamond when you can. She's as biased as can be, and she can't _stand _any of your family." She reached over to put a hand on his head. "After you talk to her today, stay out of trouble as much as humanly possible and don't cross the hall between the elementary and high school wings unless it's absolutely necessary."

He nodded understandingly.

"And don't be scared of her either. She can smell fear."

Well, that was going to be hard, with all Steven had heard today. But he still thanked his teacher as he walked out, heading towards the office. He passed a girl with tan skin and short hair on his way down the hall that he assumed must be Blue Diamond's daughter. She seemed to be in a nervous hurry, so he didn't stop her to introduce himself.

The boy finally made his way down to the office, where a tall woman with dyed yellow hair and tan skin was waiting for him with – to his relief – Garnet nearby.

"Hello, Steven. My name is Yellow Diamond." She gave him a sharp toothed grin.

A shiver ran down his spine that he couldn't describe. He felt like he was standing in the presence of a goddess, or a queen. Perhaps both. She was beautiful, she was massive, and good lord was her presence intimidating.

He walked over to the chair right next to the tallest of his foster mothers. Most of the conversation went on between the adults – what level Steven was on, what subjects should be avoided when speaking to him, his familial history. For some of it, he wondered how on Earth it was necessary for the school principal to know.

Steven answered a few questions as well, mostly about what he liked to do or what sports he would consider playing in the future. After an agonizingly long amount of time, he found himself having shaken Yellow Diamond's slender hand and being lead out of the room by Garnet.

"She scares me." The child murmured as soon as they were out of earshot.

"She scares us all." Replied Garnet as she opened the door for him. "Now let's head home. Nobody has to coach tonight, and I think Pearl is baking a pie for dessert."


	5. Chapter 5

Far, Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter Five

_A/N: THE SCHOOL YEAR IS OVER, AND SO IS MY HIATUS! Getting back into it with this one, and starting a couple other multi-chapters (one for SU and one for Batman) in the coming week. I have some drabble requests from Tumblr I'll be doing as well starting tomorrow. Lars, Sadie, and Sour Cream are all eighteen, though while Lars and Sadie graduated SC has not._

One early October morning saw Opal's second birthday arriving. The day had been a busy one; Ruby and Sapphire had come over, and the adults spent most of the day doting over the birthday girl. The day's events had made it so that Steven hadn't been presented with the opportunity to ask to go out and walk around the boardwalk until just an hour or so before sunset. He suspected that Pearl had only given him permission because she was exhausted, considering his usual curfew had already come and gone.

Steven was intending to go and visit his dad, but he figured he might as well go and pick up a couple snacks. The small boy quickly walked over to the nearby donut shop and pushed the door open, smiling and hopping inside as the bell over the glass _dinged. _He glanced around; why he hadn't been here before, he really didn't know.

The Big Donut was fairly small, ice cream against one wall, donuts advertised on the board above the counter. Behind aforementioned counter was a small and chubby girl with curly blonde hair that was about his height, her purple t-shirt boasting the shop's logo. Her coworker – a tall, tan-skinned boy with red hair done in a mohawk – was talking to a tall, pale, and lanky white-haired boy that Steven recognized fairly easily as Onion's brother.

The girl quickly looked up from her phone when she realized someone had entered the shop. It seemed to have been a fairly slow business day, considering she looked bored. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Two donuts please." Steven requested, walking up to the counter and looking around curiously. "I'm Steven. Steven Universe."

"I've seen you around. You live with the three ladies on the hill, right?" Steven nodded, and the girl smiled a bit and continued talking. "I'm Sadie. The boy next to me is Lars. But right now, he's busy trying to look cool for Sour Cream."

Lars's sharp elbow connected with her side, and she made a soft "ouch" noise before rolling her eyes and reaching over to grab a couple of donuts before handing them over to her customer. Steven thanked her brightly and was about to go, but hesitated before grabbing a Cookie Cat from the freezer and running back to the counter to pay for it.

This seemed to grab the attention of Lars for whatever reason, who quickly turned to the child with a sneer as he handed Sadie some more money. He ignored his coworker's warning glance and spoke, perhaps a little meaner than necessary.

"Eugh, Cookie Cats." He made a light face of disgust as he stuck out his tongue. Sour Cream's pale blue eyes followed him, which he seemed well aware of. "You know, those things are going out of business. Lion Lickers are just so much better, and they can't compete. You're not gonna have those nasty things for much longer."

Steven was horrified momentarily. He adored this particular brand of ice cream, and being honest, he couldn't stand the thought of not having them. However, he soon remembered that Pearl had a recipe for just about anything and enjoyed making desserts most of all; he'd live.

"That's okay." He shrugged, smile returning to his face as he stuffed his change in his pocket. Sadie was glaring at her coworker, and Sour Cream had a look of disapproval on his face. Poor Lars's face turned a light shade of pink as he scrunched his shoulders up, glancing at the ground.

As Steven thanked Sadie and started rushing out of the shop, he could hear a low voice he assumed belonged to Sour Cream mutter, "Not cool, bro."

As the boy walked down the boardwalk, breathing in the cool and salty air, he felt as though he was being watched and quickly turned his head in the direction the feeling was coming from. A run-down house at the edge of the boardwalk stared back at him with empty, gaping windows. Steven quietly approached, afraid that something would rush at him from the inside. It was the perfect building to be featured in a haunted house.

He peered into the dark window, and to his surprise it squeaked open when he put a hand on the glass to try and see inside better. He flinched away and held his fist against his chest, fully able to feel his heart thudding quickly and harshly. He gulped, wondering whether or not to go inside, before quietly crawling in.

The house was furnished, but dusty. There was a light on in a doorway near the back of the main room he'd entered through, so he assumed it must have been inhabited. Curiosity pushed him to look around the room; there were a couple of pictures of a tan-skinned and sad-looking girl on the walls, and a single picture of a small toddler with wild white hair.

Before he could look any further, however, there was a sound like a child pretending to be a cat from his left. He panicked a little and clambered out the window, sprinting in the direction of his father's car wash.

If he'd looked back, he'd have seen the toddler from the picture poking her head out the window to watch him go.


End file.
